Brussels, 13/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, welcomes the decision by the president of Burma/Myanmar to grant an amnesty to over 6,000 prisoners. According to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPB), 203 of that number are political prisoners. “We are pleased to learn that a number of political prisoners are included in this amnesty and have been set free”, Ashton states in a press release, adding: “Their releases is a sign that the new government is committed to honouring the promise of the president to respect the rule of law and to safeguard fundamental freedoms”. She went on to say that the EU “continues to advocate the unconditional release of all political prisoners and encourages the government of Myanmar to continue this process of positive change”.
The release of these prisoners is one of a series of measures recently taken by the authorities, which makes the promise of reforms more credible, the EU foreign policy chief said. She went on to point out: “But we need to see the full picture first”, saying that “the EU reconfirms the essential importance of a genuine process of dialogue and national reconciliation for a transition to democracy”. (CG/transl.jl)